Stories for February 2003

With the support of the Armed Forces, Brazilian Police have launched a huge security operation to protect the carnival in Rio de Janeiro which has been threatened by spiralling violence between drugs gangs.

The European Commission is following the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform with a proposal to create an additional EUR 32 million fund for decommissioning hake and cod vessels by reprogramming structural funds for the period 2004-2006. The proposal, subject to Council of Ministers and European Parliament approval, aims to redirect Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) vessel construction and modernisation funds towards fleet reduction

Humans have been putting highly toxic chemicals into the environment by burning peat for centuries, scientists say. Today, large amounts of these dioxins are released from waste incinerators, but research shows we have been exposed to these toxins since even before the industrial revolution.

Corfo, the official Chilean promotion corporation was granted a fifteen years mining lease in an island rich in coal reserves to the north of Punta Arenas. If exploratory geological surveying in the Estancia Invierno complex of Riesco Island concession indicates the commercial viability of the project, exploitation is expected to begin in twelve months.

The Brazilian government on Wednesday began meeting with civil-service unions that have called for pay hikes and threatened to hold what may be the first strikes since socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.